NHS, CRUSE and Thames Hospicecare to talk about dying

That’s the question that will be posed by health managers during a Dying Matters roadshow in Bracknell town centre on Sunday.

Shoppers will be asked to write their wish list on a postcard in the hope that thinking about how they want to live their life will encourage them to plan for their death.

Rosemary Martin, end of life service manager for Berkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, said: “Death isn’t a topic we like to talk about but talking about it doesn’t bring it any nearer.

“We hope that after visiting the stand one of the five things on their list will be to have a conversation with their family about what they want to happen when they die.”

The campaign is run by the trust, Thames Hospicecare and CRUSE bereavement.

Sue Duncan, director of nursing at the hospice, added: “We recognise that many people have specific wishes about how they would like to be cared for as they approach the end of their life and what they would prefer to happen after their death.

“All too often these wishes and preferences are not shared with family, friends or health professionals so they are unaware of how best to do what the person wants.”

Nurses and staff from CRUSE and Thames Hospicecare will be at the Peel Centre on Sunday between 10am and 4pm to offer advice and help recently bereaved people.